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The owners manual states that the leather seats have a special coating on them to make it easier to clean them. In the past I have always used a cleaner followed by a conditioner, like Eagle One or Mothers. Are these products safe to use on these seats or does this mean that you can only use the Ford leather care products?

The owners manual states that the leather seats have a special coating on them to make it easier to clean them. In the past I have always used a cleaner followed by a conditioner, like Eagle One or Mothers. Are these products safe to use on these seats or does this mean that you can only use the Ford leather care products?

Thanks,Jeff

Pg 327 of owners manual:

LEATHER SEATS (IF EQUIPPED)Your leather seating surfaces have a clear, protective coating over theleather.• To clean, use a soft cloth with Motorcraft Deluxe Leather and VinylCleaner (ZC-11-A). In Canada, use Motorcraft Vinyl Cleaner (CXC-93).Dry the area with a soft cloth.• To help maintain its resiliency and color, use the Motorcraft DeluxeLeather Care Kit (ZC-11-D), available from your authorized dealer. InCanada, use Motorcraft Vinyl Cleaner (CXC-93) or an equivalenthigh–quality leather care product.• Do not use household cleaning products, alcohol solutions, solvents orcleaners intended for rubber, vinyl and plastics, or oil/petroleum-basedleather conditioners. These products may cause premature wearing ofthe clear, protective coating.Note: In some instances, color or dye transfer can occur when wetclothing comes in contact with leather upholstery. If this occurs, theleather should be cleaned immediately to avoid permanent staining.

The leather seats are coated in vinyl. A leather conditioner can cause that to de-laminate the coating.

<!--quoteo(post=3777:date=Jul 17 2009, 09:56 AM:name=Grey Flexer)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Grey Flexer @ Jul 17 2009, 09:56 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=3777"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The owners manual states that the leather seats have a special coating on them to make it easier to clean them. In the past I have always used a cleaner followed by a conditioner, like Eagle One or Mothers. Are these products safe to use on these seats or does this mean that you can only use the Ford leather care products?

<blockquote>LEATHER SEATS (IF EQUIPPED)Your leather seating surfaces have a clear, protective coating over theleather.• To clean, use a soft cloth with Motorcraft Deluxe Leather and VinylCleaner (ZC-11-A). In Canada, use Motorcraft Vinyl Cleaner (CXC-93).Dry the area with a soft cloth.• To help maintain its resiliency and color, use the Motorcraft DeluxeLeather Care Kit (ZC-11-D), available from your authorized dealer. InCanada, use Motorcraft Vinyl Cleaner (CXC-93) or an equivalenthigh–quality leather care product.• Do not use household cleaning products, alcohol solutions, solvents orcleaners intended for rubber, vinyl and plastics, or oil/petroleum-basedleather conditioners. These products may cause premature wearing ofthe clear, protective coating.Note: In some instances, color or dye transfer can occur when wetclothing comes in contact with leather upholstery. If this occurs, theleather should be cleaned immediately to avoid permanent staining.</blockquote>

The leather seats are coated in vinyl. A leather conditioner can cause that to de-laminate the coating.

And if you didn't know, I believe MotorCraft is a Ford brand, which is why they recommend it.

And if you didn't know, I believe MotorCraft is a Ford brand, which is why they recommend it.

Yep - Motorcraft is the brand name for the parts Ford sells to dealerships and to independent Jobbers and warehouse distributors, Product lines that are readily available in the aftermarket generally get the Motorcraft brand (batteries, electrical and A/C parts, filters, chemicals and oil,etc.)

The Motorcraft chemical and oil products are specifically designed to be compatable with Ford vehicles. Many of the parts store products are universal in design and may not be appropriate for Ford applications. That is why it is best to follow the owner's manuals recommendations. The service engineers that approve the Motorcraft chemicals generally tell you the things that have been designed specifically for your vehicle and the things to avoid so you don't make a bad mistake.

And if you didn't know, I believe MotorCraft is a Ford brand, which is why they recommend it.

The point was that the manual states you should use a vinyl cleaner on the leather seats. Don't use a petroleum based product on the leather seats. The leather seats have a vinyl coating and if you use a traditional leather product that has oils you'll ruin the seats.

The point was that the manual states you should use a vinyl cleaner on the leather seats. Don't use a petroleum based product on the leather seats. The leather seats have a vinyl coating and if you use a traditional leather product that has oils you'll ruin the seats.

That's not what it says:

Do not use household cleaning products, alcohol solutions, solvents or cleaners intended for rubber, vinyl and plastics, or oil/petroleum-based leather conditioners. These products may cause premature wearing of the clear, protective coating.

So don't use products for vinyl or plastics. Also don't use an oil or petroleum based "leather" cleaner (that's standard advice for leather care).

I'd say either use the Ford stuff or a high quality leather care product like Lexol. Something that has lanolin which is not petroleum based.

Nothing wrong with using Motorcraft products. The filters are very good quality, the sparkplugs have always been high quality, I don't see why the other products wouldn't be as well. I would much rather use a Motorcraft filter over a Fram filter any day!